


to know you

by Anonymous



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Miraculous Ladybug, Identity Reveal, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 20:18:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13620927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: They were the Wonder Duo, the saviors of the innocent, and it took that reminder to get Izuku through yet another sleepless night.





	to know you

**Author's Note:**

> this fic covers a lot for a oneshot, but i told myself i couldn't take on another multichapter fic until i finished my other one! so here's this story about an awkward middle schooler love square, and how it all turns out. i love miraculous a lot, but i kind of forgot about it until very recently, so i thought it would be fun to fuse it with my favorite ship. i hope this is an original idea for an akuma villain, but uhh.... i feel like it might not be. LMAO... also, i know that _really_ , only ladybug can handle akumas and this is like... not accurate. i had to make up a lot of shit to make this fic work, tbh. also, i know there's already a fox miraculous in canon but. fglhkjlkfjg i'm doing my best, dude. anyway, hope you enjoy! ♥♥♥  
> (ps i have no idea how bakugou and izuku are not 100% aware of who the other is... especially izuku, you would think his obsessive self would recognize bakugou immediately LOL)

Being a hero had always suited Izuku. There were people who would disagree with that, of course, but he knew that he had been led down this path because it was his own from the beginning. Destiny was a finicky, strange thing, but often times it seemed to know what it was doing.

No one had taught him what to do, though, and no one had been there to warn him of the struggles that came with being a hero. He wouldn’t exchange his miraculous for anything, of course, but there were little things that sometimes made it feel like a bit more trouble than it was worth. Things like having trouble falling asleep, because he was too on edge to close his eyes for more than a moment. He had to be prepared for anything, any time, and sleep felt like a luxury that he could only afford half of the time. 

Then, there was the way it had affected his relationships. Disappearing at random times and being unable to go with his classmates to most things had inadvertently made his friendships a bit more tense than he would like. However, there was no way of fixing that without sacrificing his responsibilities, and that had never been an option. He had to protect Musutafu, because no one else was going to do it.

Then again, that was not entirely true. He didn’t face evil on his own, not completely. Izuku had a partner in crime- well, justice, really- and they had made a name for themselves, even outside of their small city. They were the Wonder Duo, the saviors of the innocent, and it took that reminder to get Izuku through yet another sleepless night.

When the sun began to rise, Izuku could still feel tiredness pulling at his senses, dulling his mind as he dragged himself out of bed. The exhaustion was just short of unbearable. Faintly, he thought to himself that if he had to fight today, he would be putting himself, his partner, and the people of his beloved city in grave danger by being this exhausted on the battlefield, and silently prayed that he would not be faced with any villains as the day went on.

As he pulled on his uniform, lazily doing up the gold buttons, he was aware of a presence behind him.

“Mikku,” he began, turning to face his kwami, “You don’t have to stare at me until you get my attention. I won’t be mad if you just talk to me directly.”

“Oh, well I-” Mikku rubbed her little paws together, her gaze drifting off to the side. She brought her eyes back up to meet his, and offered a slight smile. “I was just wondering if you planned to talk to Bakugou today.”

“Kacchan?” Izuku said, fixing up the last button on his jacket. “I don’t know, why?”

“It’s just that yesterday you said today would be the day you talked to him again. But you said that the day before yesterday, too, and I think… I don’t mean to pry or be too forceful, of course, but I think you’ve put it off for too long,” Mikku said, her voice nervously wavering in some spots.

“I know I have,” Izuku agreed, picking his bag up off the floor. He sighed and picked up last night’s homework from his desk, giving it a quick once-over before he stuffed it into his bag. “I’ll do it… eventually,” he said.

Mikku frowned, but said nothing else. She floated behind Izuku as he walked into the kitchen, and she hung back a few feet while he made sure his mom wasn’t there to see her. While Izuku trusted his mother, he had a feeling that her protectiveness would kick into high gear if she knew that he was out fighting villains and risking his life on the regular. She couldn’t know about his secret identity, nor could anyone else.

Izuku poured himself a cup of coffee, cold from where Inko had left it that morning. He didn’t bother to heat it up, but grimaced at the old taste combined with its room temperature state. Oh, well, he wasn’t drinking it because he _liked_ it. 

As he walked to the door, he heard Mikku mumbling something, too quiet to be heard. “What did you say?” he asked, turning to look at her again.

“I think you should eat breakfast,” she murmured, not looking at him as she did. 

“I’ll be fine,” Izuku assured her, though a part of him knew that she was right. She might not always ‘get’ human things, but she knew basic things that Izuku himself often ignored in favor of saving time. It wasn’t the smartest thing to do, he knew that it wasn’t, but he wasn’t as good at taking care of himself as he was at taking care of others.

Mikku fidgeted, looking as though she wanted to say more. She didn’t, though, and Izuku lifted up the flap of his bag and motioned for her to get inside. She did, and Izuku was out the door without another word.

Uraraka and Iida met him outside, and his mood lightened substantially as he walked alongside them. He didn’t participate much in their conversation, only interjecting on occasion to give his thoughts, and Uraraka seemed to notice that he wasn’t as talkative as usual, which already was not _that_ talkative.

“Is something wrong, Deku?” she asked, pausing in her tracks to give him a concerned look.

“Huh? Oh, I’m okay,” Izuku assured her, giving a soft smile. “I just am having trouble sleeping, that’s all,” he said.

“A good night’s sleep is necessary for the best academic and social performance,” Iida informed him, and Izuku appreciated the genuine nature of it, but it was tiresome to be told what he already knew.

“I know,” Izuku said, beginning to walk again. When they didn’t follow him, he turned around to look at them. “What is it?” he asked.

“We’re worried about you,” Uraraka said, her lips forming a soft frown. He felt guilty for troubling her so, but there were things going on in his life that she and Iida simply would not understand.

“I’m fine, really!” Izuku told them, giving a wide smile to make it seem more genuine. Even smiling felt exhausting, but he couldn’t go on letting his friends worry about him.

“If you’re sure,” Uraraka finally said, heaving a sigh as she started walking forward again. “Anyway, I was thinking that we could all go see a movie tonight!” She got a bit ahead of the two of them, then turned around to face them and walked backwards. “I could invite Tsu, too. And Deku,” she started, grinning, “You could invite Bakugou, if you wanted.”

“N-no, no, I can’t do that!” Izuku sputtered, his face growing red.

“Why not?” Uraraka asked, tilting her head innocently and looking at him.

“He wouldn’t- I can’t- it wouldn’t work out if I asked,” he replied, his eyes focusing down on the sidewalk.

“You’re so quick to assume things! You should at least try it,” she told him, “or you’ll never know if it could have worked out.”

Izuku said nothing, but he looked back up at her and gave her a soft smile. She returned it, a sympathetic gaze meeting his own.

There was light conversation the rest of the way to school, while Izuku continued to feel exhaustion monopolizing his senses. By the time they made it to their classroom, Izuku was certain that he was going to collapse on the floor and die right then and there.

Because they functioned on Iida’s schedule, there was still a bit of time before class started. Izuku stayed silent in his seat, with his head buried in his arms on the table, until he felt someone nudge him. Looking up, his gaze a bit blurry, he saw Uraraka. She nudged Izuku again, then pointed in front of him.

“Wh- oh,” Izuku caught sight of Bakugou, and he buried his face in his arms again, giving himself just enough room to peer over them and keep his eyes on Bakugou.

“Yesterday you said you’d do it today,” Uraraka reminded him, and it brought back the memories of Mikku from earlier, though she had been a bit softer about the whole thing.

“Well, I’ll do it tomorrow for sure,” Izuku said.

“Deku!” she exclaimed, sounding exasperated, “You’ve been saying that for weeks!”

“You don’t get it, Uraraka,” he murmured, his tone grim, “He hasn’t liked me in any way since we were kids. It’s pointless to try to make him even want to be my friend again.”

Uraraka sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I still think you should try,” she said.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Izuku replied.

\--

The day moved by slowly, and Izuku could hardly remember moments as they passed him by. He tried to pay attention in class, but information didn’t stick in his brain for long. By the time lunch rolled around, he felt as though he was dreaming everything around him. Really, he would be glad if he was, because at least that meant that he was asleep somewhere.

“Midoriya?” 

Izuku heard a voice distantly, but it was like it came from another world.

“Midoriya,” it repeated, this time accompanied by a hand shaking his shoulder. This time, he was brought back to reality, and he jolted.

“What is it?” he asked, glancing around as if he expected something to be wrong.

“You’ve been staring at the wall and chewing the same bite of rice for a few minutes now,” Uraraka told him, which Iida affirmed with a nod.

“Oh,” Izuku said, swallowing the thoroughly-chewed bite of food and glancing over at Todoroki, who looked equally as concerned for him. 

“Midoriya,” Todoroki said, and Izuku registered that the tone of it was the same as what he heard when he was spacing out. It must have been Todoroki who shook him, then. “How long have you not been sleeping?”

Izuku hesitated for a long moment, before answering, “A few days.”

Todoroki looked unconvinced. “I think it’s been longer,” he said.  
“Maybe it’s been a week,” Izuku conceded.

“Deku!” Uraraka gasped, her brow furrowed. “That’s such a long time! Have you slept at _all_?” she asked.

“Sometimes I do,” Izuku answered, “I think I’d be losing my grip on reality if I had gone that entire time without sleeping at all.” He laughed lightly, but no one else seemed to find the humor in it.

“You need to inform your mother,” Iida said, reaching over the table to put a hand on his shoulder and look directly into his eyes. “This is more of a problem than you’re making it out to be.”

“Guys, I’ll be fine, really,” Izuku said, “Please don’t worry about me. I’m sure by next week everything will be back to normal.” He knew that wasn’t true, because the problems would not go away, but he couldn’t allow them to continue worrying over him.

Uraraka looked as though she especially did not believe him, but she nodded along with the others and went back to eating.

Izuku tried to pay attention to the conversation that his friends were having while he finished lunch, but it all faded into white noise like the rest of the chatter in the cafeteria after long enough.

When he stood up to clean his place, he grew dizzy with the motion. If a villain really did attack now, he would be useless in combat. With that thought in mind, he determined that he had to get some rest before it got any later. “Hey,” he began, getting the attention of his friends before he took off, “I’m going to the nurse’s office. I’ll be back soon.”

There was something of a collective relief that swept over his friends when he made that announcement.

“I’ll take you there!” Uraraka said, jumping up from her seat. Before Izuku could tell her that it was fine, she was walking around the table and over to him to loop their arms together. “Let’s go!”

Izuku wanted to tell her that she should stay, but there was no use arguing with her on the matter. She was plenty insistent and convincing, after all. He followed her lead as she pulled him away, towards the door. On the way, someone walked right out in front of them, and Uraraka came to a sudden halt. Izuku, however, did not, and walked a step or two ahead of her to walk right into the person in question.

“Watch it!”  
Izuku’s heart stopped, and suddenly all that exhaustion felt like an afterthought. “I-I- I’m sorry, Kacchan,” he said, his eyes darting wildly around to land everywhere but on Bakugou’s face.

“Jesus, Deku, how many times do I have to tell you to stay out of my way?” Bakugou hissed, stepping closer and getting into his space.

Izuku didn’t tell him that he and Uraraka had been walking there first. “I try to,” he whispered. Their close proximity made his heart race, and Bakugou knew nothing of it.

“Try harder,” he growled, leaning in even closer until their noses almost touched.

“Okay,” Izuku squeaked, taking a step back and dragging Uraraka with him. He hadn’t even realized how tightly he had been holding onto her.

“Come on, Bakugou,” said a voice from off to the side. 

Izuku hesitantly glanced over, and saw Kirishima approaching them. He watched as he put an arm around Bakugou’s shoulders, pulling him close. A pang of jealousy hit him in the chest, but he quickly stifled it. Kirishima had never been anything but kind to him, after all.

“Lay off of him, will ya?” Kirishima suggested, giving Bakugou a slight shake.

Izuku watched as Bakugou grumbled, shoving Kirishima’s arm off of him, and walked in the same way he had been going before.

Why was it so easy for him?

Really, what did Kirishima possess that Izuku himself did not?

“Thanks,” Izuku said in spite of his own bitterness, offering him a smile.

“Don’t worry about it! It’s not any trouble,” Kirishima replied. 

Izuku gave him a nod of acknowledgement, then started pulling Uraraka with him towards the door.

“He’s so mean to you for no good reason!” Uraraka shouted once they were out of the cafeteria and in the hallway. “You know I’ll always support you, but _why_ do you like him again?”

“It’s… complicated, Uraraka,” Izuku said, beginning to walk in the direction of the nurse’s office with new determination. “I’ve always liked him. In all of my conscious memories, I’ve felt the same way about him. It’s just that… he doesn’t feel the same way about me, anymore.”

“Why?” she asked, trying to match his brisk pace.

“I don’t know. He’s not the sort to, uh, tell me that kind of thing,” Izuku said, laughing bitterly, “He doesn’t tell me anything at all these days, except things like what you heard.”

“Right…” Uraraka replied, going silent after that as they walked the rest of the way to visit the nurse. Once they stood outside the door, Izuku turned to look at Uraraka.

“Thanks for coming with me,” Izuku said, “I’m sorry for worrying you so much.”

“It’s no trouble,” she said in reply, “You know this is nothing compared to the kind of thing that I’d do for you.” She unhooked their arms, stepping back, just to get closer again. She pressed her lips to Izuku’s cheek, then pulled him into a tight hug. “You get some rest, and you tell me if you need something, okay?”

Izuku sighed, silently appreciating the scent of her fruity conditioner and her warm vanilla perfume. He hugged her tightly in return, then forced himself to pull away. “I will,” he promised.

“Okay, good,” she said, smiling brightly at him, “I’ll see you later.” She gave him a goodbye wave and turned around, heading back to the cafeteria.

Izuku smiled at her disappearing figure, then opened the door to the nurse’s office and stepped inside. He was greeted with a clinical, sterile scent, so different from the sweetness Uraraka carried with her, and something about it was almost unsettling. 

“Ms. Shuzenji?” he called out into the small room.

“Yes?” 

Izuku jumped, turning to the side to look at the little old woman sitting at her desk. How had he missed her there? Did she just appear at will? Shaking his head, he said, “I’m here because, well..” He shifted awkwardly on his feet, then finally admitted the truth, “I haven’t slept well for a week, and I’m not doing so well in class.”

“I really shouldn’t let you in here just to sleep,” Ms. Shuzenji said, then shook her head, “You’ve always been a good student, though, and I’d hate to see your grades suffer. I’ll let you rest, just this once, but don’t expect me to allow it again.”

“Thank you so much,” Izuku said, smiling brightly at her. He walked over to one of the beds in the corner and pulled the blankets down. He sighed, sitting down on the edge and staring out the window. The sun was still high in the sky. If he slept for a couple of hours, maybe he would still be back in time for his last class, at the absolute least.

Izuku laid back, getting under the covers and pulling them up to his cheek. Once he closed his eyes, he couldn’t seem to open them again. So, he didn’t, simply allowing himself to drift off for the first time in what felt like forever.

\--

Izuku awoke peacefully and without struggle, and he could see that the sun was beginning to set. His dreamy comfort disturbed, he shot up, looking around the room for the nurse. He caught sight of her off in the opposite corner, and groggily asked, “What time is it?”

“Time for you to get out!” Ms. Shuzenji replied, walking over to him and patting his leg. “Go on, get out of here. You’ve got a life to live, right?”

Izuku nodded, getting out of the bed and stumbling over to the door. “Thanks again,” he said, before he ducked out of the door and into the hallway. He looked around, seeing a few students milling about, and felt relieved that he wasn’t late getting home, at least.

“Deku!” 

Izuku turned to the side, and saw Uraraka rushing towards him. “How are you feeling?” she asked, grabbing his hands and swinging them around in her own.

“A lot better, thank you,” Izuku replied. “Where’s Iida?” he asked.

“He’s coming. We’ll walk you back to your apartment! It’ll be more fun, now that you’re feeling a better!” Uraraka said, her smile wide and radiant.

“That sounds good.” Izuku returned her smile, though he felt as though his was lackluster in comparison.

After Iida joined them, they all started the trek home. It was a lovely day, and Izuku noticed smaller things this time, like the birds and the grass and the sky. He still had plenty of hours of sleep to catch up on, but this was a start.

Halfway there, though, he remembered something.

“Dammit,” he muttered under his breath, immediately looking for an out. He had promised his partner that he would meet him after school, and at this rate, he was probably already late. 

“Hey, guys,” Izuku said, after taking out his phone and pretending to see a message, “My mom really needs me back home like, right now, so I’m going to go on ahead, ok? You can both go straight home instead..”

“Aw, really?” Uraraka pouted. “Well, ok, I’ll see you tomorrow then!”

“Bye!” Izuku waved to both of them, then took off into a run in the direction of his house. Once he was far enough away, though, he ducked into an alley. He opened up his bag, looking down at his sleeping kwami. He gently nudged her with his finger, and her bright blue eyes opened up.

“What is it? Is there a villain?” she asked, yawning. Considering her question, she didn’t seem all that distressed.

“No, we have to go meet Vulpe on top of that restaurant downtown,” Izuku reminded her, “I promised him last time we finished a fight, and I totally forgot until just a minute ago.”

“Oh, okay,” Mikku said, then continued with, “Let’s get going, then!”

Izuku nodded. He put his ring hand up into the air, then whispered just loud enough to be heard, “Mikku, transform me!”

The transformation was a familiar one, but he never felt any less bad about Mikku getting absorbed into the ring like she did. He pushed that thought aside, though, jumping against one wall and then the one on the other side, until he reached the roof and stood above the city.

Izuku hoped Vulpe wouldn’t mind that he was late.

\--

After darting from one roof to another, Izuku eventually reached the place that they had agreed to meet. He saw Vulpe standing there, and breathed a sigh of relief. At least he had been willing to wait.

“Hey, so sorry that I’m- I didn’t mean to be late,” Izuku apologized, leaning over and putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

“Sure, okay, but you were still late,” Vulpe replied, “But I guess it’s not like it was urgent, anyway.”

“What is it you wanted to talk about?” Izuku asked, looking at him curiously.

“I wanted to ask you something,” he said, offering no more explanation than that.

“...Like what?” he prompted, stepping a bit closer.

“Amami,” Vulpe said, and it seemed like he was resisting the urge to step away from him, “You know how much I care about you, right?”  
“Of course I do!” Izuku said, sounding positive, but dreading what he suspected would be oncoming bad news, “Why do you ask?”

“I want to be more than partners,” Vulpe admitted, seeming more nervous than Izuku had ever seen him. He was usually so confident and abrasive, and it took Izuku a moment to register what he had said when he was so focused on his demeanor.

“What?” he asked, not really needing the explanation that he was asking for.

“We’ve been fighting together for a long time now, and I just thought, maybe, you’d feel the same way,” he said, already sounding a little crushed. 

“Vulpe,” Izuku said softly, reaching out towards him. His partner took a step back, away from his outstretched hand. “It’s not that I don’t- that I never… I care about you a lot, too,” he murmured.

“Then what’s the problem?” he asked, an edge of desperation creeping into his tone.

“There’s… someone else,” Izuku admitted, “I’ve been in love with him since we were kids, and I… I can’t just- I can’t forget about that, not even for you. Besides, I don’t even know who you are. And you don’t know who I am, either.”

Vulpe nodded, as if he understood, but Izuku could see the hurt on his face. “Okay,” he said, his voice cracking.

“I’m sorry,” Izuku sighed. In a way, he was glad. He feared that Vulpe intended to tell him of a terminal illness or a death in his family, and this was a lot better than that would have been. It was upsetting anyway, of course, and he was miserable in a way that he had never felt before. No one had ever _liked_ him, and a part of him worried that Vulpe would be the first and last person who ever did.

Already, he wondered if he had made the right choice. Bakugou would never like him back, after all, and Vulpe was an excellent partner and friend- he would treat him well. Then again, Izuku would only allow it to happen after they knew each other’s identities, and he had a feeling that if Vulpe saw him for what he was, his feelings for him would disappear in an instant.

Izuku was nothing to be impressed by.

“I should get back to patrolling,” Vulpe said, staring off to the side, pointedly away from Izuku.

“Yeah,” Izuku agreed, voice soft, “I have things I need to do, too.”

Vulpe turned towards him again, looking directly into his eyes this time. There was a tension between them that had not existed before, and Izuku was hesitant to name it. After a long pause, Vulpe gave him a smile. Something about it felt forced and ingenuine, but Izuku returned it all the same. “I’ll see you later,” he said, then took a running jump off the roof, down to a lower one.

“Later,” Izuku echoed, but he was already gone. With a sigh, he sat down on top of the roof. He de-transformed there, not even considering that Vulpe could come back and see him. 

Mikku stared at him for a long while, not saying anything.

“I didn’t want to hurt him,” Izuku finally said, his head dropping down into his hands.

“You couldn’t have avoided it,” Mikku replied, “You can’t force yourself to like him, you know.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he sighed. After a long silence, he reached into his bag and pulled out a pastry. “I know I didn’t stay transformed for long, but I figure you deserve something sweet anyway,” he said. Mikku took it from him gratefully, taking delicate bites as she waited for him to say something else.

“I think I messed up,” Izuku whispered, “I think he’s going to hate me.”

“That’s not true!” Mikku exclaimed, floating down near his lap to stare up at him instead, “I think he’s just upset. He understands.”

“I hope you’re right,” Izuku murmured. He stayed there for a long time, silently thinking over the choices he had made today, and where they might lead him now that there was no taking them back.

The sun had dropped lower in the sky since he last paid attention to it, and he realized that he should be getting home. While Vulpe seemed content to spend his days watching for danger, Izuku could not say that he would be happy doing the same.

“Let’s get out of here before it gets any later,” Izuku said, standing up and brushing off his pants, “Mom’s going to start wondering where I am.” He held open the top of his bag for Mikku, and she floated inside without resistance. Even though things could have turned out worse, he couldn’t shake the bad feeling that plagued him. It was as if he was just waiting for something to go wrong somewhere along the line.

Once he had climbed down off the roof, earning some disconcerted stares in the process, he started off towards home again. Izuku took comfort in the hustle and bustle of the world around him, and he eventually felt some of the tension melt off of his shoulders. He strolled onward, closing his eyes on occasion to soak in the warmth of familiarity. It was at a moment that his eyes were closed that he heard a loud shriek of ‘don’t!’ and his eyes subsequently shot open, darting around to find the source of the voice.  
After a brief moment of searching, his gaze landed on the park. There, he saw a person- or he assumed it was- encased in flowers and vines, holding a couple of elementary schoolers hostage against a fence, using the ivy creeping along it.

“Looks like I won’t be getting home on time,” Izuku muttered. He mixed in with a crowd of people taking off away from the scene, and eventually darted out of the rush of movement to hide in another alleyway. He shoved a dumpster away from the wall, giving himself just enough room to stand behind it. 

Izuku opened his bag, and this time, Mikku was already staring up at him from inside it. “We have work to do,” he said, “and it looks like it’s going to be pretty serious this time around.”

“You can do it! You haven’t been bested yet!” Mikku said, rising out of the bag to face him.

“Not yet,” Izuku agreed. He peered around the edge of the dumpster to make sure no one was looking, before he leaned back behind it and took a deep breath.

“Okay, let’s do this. Mikku, transform me!”

\--

The park was in chaos the second that Izuku reached it from across the way, and he could barely assess it with how many people were pleading for his help already.

“I’ll get you out of here, just- just wait, everything is going to be okay!” Izuku shouted, but it did little to lull the noise. He could see, in the center of it all, that the person from before had seemingly taken root in the ground. He couldn’t say for sure, but he suspected that she was going to gain more control over plants all around the city, and possibly outside of it, if he let her stay there for long.

Izuku couldn’t free the civilians one by one, so he decided that they would have to wait until he had taken care of the akuma altogether before they could be set free. He pulled his slingshot off his belt, creeping forward to get closer to the villain. She had yet to notice him over the ruckus from everyone else, but he doubted that he would have much of an advantage from that alone.

He jumped when he heard someone land behind him, but he was relieved to see that it was only Vulpe. Really, with how particular his partner was about being the first one on the scene, Izuku was surprised that it had taken him this long to get here.

He stopped in his tracks, waiting until Vulpe was beside him.

“I think the akuma is in her megaphone. See how she’s shouting at the plants to go where she wants them?” Izuku said, glancing over at him.  
“She’s not hiding it or anything, this should be an easy one,” Vulpe replied.

“Don’t underestimate her,” Izuku warned, “We have no idea if this is the full extent of her power or not.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Let’s just get this over with,” he said, stepping forward and readying himself to fight.

Izuku followed suit, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see the emotional ache in Vulpe’s eyes.

\--

The battle was a long one- much longer than either of them had been expecting. It was raging on into the night, and in the back of his mind, Izuku was worried about what he would be greeted with when he got home.

That thought was quickly dispelled, though, as he realized that both he and Vulpe had been backed into a corner.

“Fuck!” Vulpe shouted, searching for an out. He was no more successful than Izuku was in finding one, but he was not one to accept defeat so easily. “Any ideas, Amami?” he asked.

“I’m thinking…” Izuku said, watching as a wall of vines began to surround them on all sides. He caught sight of something working in between the minuscule gaps in the wall, and it took him a moment to realize that it was _sharp_.

Just as Vulpe caught sight of it, too, the oversized thorn was surging forward towards him, and Izuku did the only thing that he could think to do.

He leapt out in front of him, throwing his arms out to the sides defensively and preparing himself to take the hit right in the chest.

The hit never came, though, and he opened an eye that he hadn’t even realized he was closing. He looked down, seeing the thorn frozen right in front of his chest. 

Outside of the wall, he heard shouting, a bit distorted as if it was coming through a speaker. He realized that it was the villain- Gaia, as she had named herself- trying to command the thorn to run him through. Clearly, she didn’t have complete control over the plants, or she wouldn’t have to struggle so much.

Vulpe stared at him, his mouth gaping, like he had something to say but couldn’t quite say it. Putting his focus back on the matter at hand with a quick shake of his head, he shoved Izuku out of the way and stepped to the wall of vines that was closest to the outside.. He activated his power, a set of ethereal, glowing claws, and set to work cutting through the vines, not looking at Izuku or saying a word to him in the process. 

“Vulpe?” Izuku asked, reaching out towards him in concern. As soon as he had created an opening large enough, he grabbed Izuku’s wrist and tugged him outside, still not talking to him.

Izuku would have to deal with Vulpe later on, after they had taken care of the problem at hand. For a moment, Gaia was not using her megaphone to command the plants to do anything. In fact, she seemed so frustrated that she didn’t know what to do. After her attempted murder had failed, Izuku supposed that she had a reason to be frustrated.

“I’m going to knock it out of her hand, and I need you to catch it,” Izuku whispered, and Vulpe didn’t respond, but he couldn’t get any louder to get his attention. All he could do was hope that he had heard him and proceed with his plan.

Izuku readied his slingshot with a pellet from the bag around his waist, and just as Gaia realized what he was doing, he let it fly. He glanced over at Vulpe, desperately hoping he would jump into action, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he did. Why had he not answered him, though? 

The pellet hit right at Gaia’s wrist, right where he wanted it to- he had excellent luck, after all- and she dropped it. Vulpe caught it just in time, then after what Izuku could only interpret as a strange bout of hesitation, he tossed it to him.

Izuku caught it with a slight jump into the air, and tossed it to the ground. The machine broke, and a delicate-looking butterfly flew up out of it. He took the net off his belt and caught the butterfly in it, then pulled a small jar out of the bag around his hip. He nudged the akuma into it, closing the jar and holding it up afterwards with a proud look as it went from a pulsing purple to a glowing white. He put the jar away, as he always did, since he liked to study the strange butterflies while he had the opportunity.

“Vulpe!” he shouted, running over to him and trying to get his attention again. 

“We need to talk,” Vulpe growled, grabbing him by the wrist. He pulled him away from the scene, and Izuku stumbled afterwards.

“I need to explain everything to the girl who was akumat- Vulpe! Quit it!” Izuku tried to pull himself away, but he couldn’t manage it. So, he let Vulpe lead him down the same alleyway that he had transformed in earlier, then resisted the urge to take off in the opposite direction when Vulpe let him go.

“What’s your problem?!” Izuku exclaimed. 

“What were you thinking, Amami!” Vulpe shouted, and something about the tone of his voice when he was angry sounded… familiar. “You shouldn’t have tried to take that hit for me! Even if it didn’t fucking work, even if it all turned out okay, you’re supposed to let _me_ take the damage so you don’t have to!”

“And what, let you get killed instead? My life isn’t more valuable than yours!” Izuku shouted in return.

“Idiot, you’re the one who can actually handle the akumas! If you died, I wouldn’t be able to do shit about them. Everything would fall apart without you!”

“So?! I’m not going to let you get hurt, just because you think I should! Don’t be ridiculous, you’re my partner!”

Vulpe growled, and he was suddenly lunging forward. “Don’t be stupid!”

Izuku dodged, but barely. He took on a fighting stance, fists raised and feet spread apart on the ground. “You want to fight me now, Vulpe? What good is that going to do?!”

“I’ll knock some sense into you, dumbass!” Vulpe hissed, throwing a punch right at his face. 

Izuku blocked it with his arm, and tried to shove him backwards. He wasn’t all that successful, as Vulpe regained his balance immediately and was coming after him again. This time, when Izuku dodged, his partner’s fist collided with the wall.

“Fuck!” Vulpe shouted, drawing his hand back to rub at it. He didn’t hesitate for long, because Izuku was trying to wriggle his way past him and get out of the situation. He lunged for him again, this time getting him pinned to the wall.

Izuku grabbed at Vulpe’s arms, trying to shove him away. Distantly, he heard a quiet beeping, but its meaning didn’t register as he continued grappling with Vulpe for a few minutes afterwards, pushing and grabbing at random. “Listen, you’re being unreasonable!”

“Me? You could’ve gotten killed!” he shouted, getting in closer and bracing his forearm against Izuku’s throat. “Amami, do you think I would be this angry if it wasn’t- if I didn’t-”

Before he could finish, he realized what was happening a bit too late. The two of them de-transformed in a rush of light, and they were left staring at one another in silence before there was a thing they could do about it.

Izuku was the first to speak. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, even as he whispered, “Kacchan?”

“Deku? No, no way. No way,” Bakugou said, his eyes wide, “You can’t be- you’re not-”

“Kacchan, it’s me, but-” Izuku let go of his shoulders where he had been shoving at him, reaching up to touch his face instead. “All this time, it was you?”

“Don’t fucking touch me!” Bakugou shouted, backing up and pointing an accusing finger at him. “You’ve been deceiving me this whole time! I thought you were someone _great_ , but you’re just- you’re just useless _Deku_.”

A look of hurt crossed Izuku’s face as he realized that nothing had changed. Bitterly, he told himself that he had been right. Vulpe wouldn’t like him anymore once he knew who he was. “Kacchan, I’ve always thought you were great. This doesn’t have to change anything. We can just- we can forget all about it, okay?”

“No fucking way, Deku,” Bakugou growled, then bitterly said, “I can’t believe that I let myself think you were… amazing.”

Izuku felt tears welling up in his eyes, and even as he tried to blink them back, they still spilled over. “You thought I was amazing?” he asked, his voice cracking.

“Note the past tense, idiot. I _thought_ you were amazing. Turns out you’re nothing. I should’ve known all along,” Bakugou said, turning away from him. He started walking out of the alley, and Izuku reached out after him yet again.

“I- Kacchan-” Izuku stammered, taking a step forward. “I want us to keep protecting this place, together. Don’t quit on me now.”

Bakugou turned to look at him again, and Izuku saw that he was crying, too. “I don’t care what you want. I want to- forget it. Forget I said anything. Leave me alone,” he said, his voice growing quiet and weak by the end.

Izuku didn’t try to stop him as he started to walk off this time, and watched him leave. Once he was out of sight, he fell to his knees, sobbing violently. 

“Izuku?” Mikku whispered, putting a gentle paw on his shoulder.

“I don’t know what I ever did to him,” Izuku sobbed, wiping at his face with his sleeve, just for more tears to fall in their place. “All I ever wanted was for us to be friends. I never wanted this to happen.”

“It’s not your fault,” she said, rubbing his shoulder soothingly. It didn’t do much good, but it was the best that she could do. “You know this couldn’t have been avoided.”

Izuku only pulled himself together after several minutes when he realized he was getting a call from his mother. His voice quaked, even as he did his best to control it. He told her he would be home soon, and finally stood once he had hung up.

“Let’s go home, Mikku,” Izuku whispered. He held open the bag for her again, and she shot him a sympathetic look before she went inside.

To keep himself from crying again, he thought of ways to explain his absence to his mom. 

At least he had a night ahead of him before he had to face Bakugou again.

\--

The next morning came too soon, even though the night had seemed to drag on as Izuku lay awake in bed. He went through his routine with a blank gaze. Buttons, coffee, bag.

Izuku went outside, and the sun felt too bright. The birds and the trees felt like they were mocking him, even though he knew he was being irrational. Uraraka and Iida were waiting for him, and this time, he couldn’t even manage a smile.

“Deku?” Uraraka said, placing her hand on his shoulder, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” he replied, staring down at his shoes.

“You shouldn’t bottle things up like that,” she continued, letting her hand drop a bit so she could squeeze his arm.

“Look, I don’t want to talk about it, okay?!” Izuku snapped, turning his head to glare at her.

Uraraka looked taken aback, and the hurt on her face made Izuku ache. Even so, she backed off. “Alright,” she said, beginning to walk ahead without checking to see if he was following.

Izuku trailed behind his friends, almost walking into things several times with how he kept his head down. 

Once they made it to school, Izuku walked to the classroom by himself. Before he made it all the way, though, he walked into someone, just as he had the day before.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, “I wasn’t-” Izuku paused when he looked up, locking eyes with Bakugou.

“I want to talk with you,” Bakugou said, his gaze drifting off, and Izuku’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You want to talk?” Izuku asked.

“Yes, that’s what I said,” Bakugou replied, “Meet me on the roof again.”

Izuku hesitated, but finally nodded. “Okay, I’ll be there,” he said.

Bakugou nodded, then continued on his way to the classroom, with Izuku following a decent distance behind.

As he settled into his seat, he felt a new determination come over him.

Maybe this time, they wouldn’t end up fighting.

\--

Once class had ended for the day, Izuku was taking off out the door alone.

“Midoriya!” Iida called out after him, and Izuku spun around to face him. “Where are you going to?”

“Sorry,” Izuku said, sounding a little breathless, “I have to meet someone. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I’ll explain everything then, if it goes okay.”

Iida hesitated, but finally nodded. “I wish you luck,” he said, “Do not get yourself into any trouble.”

“I’ll try,” Izuku replied, smiling up at him. 

Then, he was running at top speed in the direction of the place he was supposed to go. 

\--

Izuku waited on the roof for a long time. After a while, he started to suspect that Bakugou wasn’t coming at all. He knew they hadn’t specified an exact time of meeting, and maybe Bakugou was just getting back at him for being late yesterday.

A voice came from behind him, saying, “Deku.”

Izuku jumped, turning to face Bakugou. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked.

“Yesterday,” Bakugou replied.

“What about it?” Izuku prompted.  
“The way I treated you… it was- it was wr- it wasn’t good. I shouldn’t have done that,” Bakugou said, staring down at Izuku’s shoes, “I thought about it, you know. About how much I… how I felt about you, before I knew who you were.”

“...and what do you think now?” Izuku asked.

“I think I still feel the same way about you. Once the shock wore off, anyway, I realized that you’re still the person I thought you were,” Bakugou answered, his voice much more delicate than Izuku had ever heard it.

Izuku felt a smile spreading across his face before he could stop it. “I always felt the same way about you,” he said, his voice quaking with the threat of oncoming tears, “Ever since we were little. And when- when you told me you liked me yesterday, the person I was talking about- it was _you_.”

Bakugou stepped forward, hesitantly pulling Izuku into an embrace. “I guess I should’ve known that,” he replied, burying his face in Izuku’s hair, “I should’ve known who you were from the start.”

“I should have, too,” Izuku replied, wrapping his arms around Bakugou and resting his cheek against his chest. “Better late than never, though.”

Bakugou gave a huff of a laugh, holding him tighter. “Yeah, better late than never,” he agreed.

Izuku pulled away just enough to stand up on his tiptoes and press his lips to Bakugou’s. He felt the other boy tense, but he relaxed soon enough to kiss him back.

It ended almost as soon as it started, but Izuku could feel his lips tingle even as he moved back.

“I like you a lot,” Izuku whispered, holding the back of Bakugou’s shirt in his fists.

“I gathered that, idiot,” Bakugou replied, but the smile was obvious in his tone. 

Izuku smiled, feeling a warmth spread in his chest.

They were the Wonder Duo, the saviors of the innocent, and it took that reminder to make Izuku kiss him again.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed my unedited, not-proofread self indulgence!! AND AS ALWAYS....
> 
> LIKE COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE GARBAGE


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